Oregon was one of the last states in the U.S. that allowed drivers to pump their own gas. But after the recent passage of a bill by Oregon state lawmakers, that changed, and Oregonians can finally pump their own gas. That leaves just New Jersey which, according to The Wall Street Journal, New Jerseyans are still happy with.
New Jersey takes full-service gas very seriously. Stations caught letting customers pump their own gas face fines of $250. Insurance companies can deny claims if an accident involves someone who pumped their gas. Allegedly, full-service also helps keep prices down. According to the WSJ:
New Jersey gas-station owners would consider a 10-to-15-cent price difference a gallon if self-service pumps ever became a reality in the state, [Ed Kashouty, who has owned a gas station and convenience store in Lakewood, N.J., since 1988] said. On average, it costs owners 12 cents a gallon to have an attendant at the pump, he said.
Even as a full-service state, New Jersey often has lower gas prices than its neighbors, according to average prices compiled by AAA. Jersey prices for regular unleaded gasoline averaged $3.73 a gallon this weekend compared with $3.90 in New York and $3.91 in Pennsylvania, according to the automobile association. The national average was $3.83 a gallon as of Sunday.
New Jersey workers and drivers, meanwhile, don’t seem to be in a rush to change things, for different reasons.“The people are very friendly, sometimes they give us tips, too. It’s a very pleasant job,” one gas station worker told WSJ.
Drivers in New Jersey seem a little too comfortable with the situation, even:
New Jersey resident Nyoami Winterburn knows this: If her state ever abolishes full-service gasoline stations, then baby, she was born to run.
“I will move out of New Jersey. I’m not kidding. It is one of the big perks of living here,” Winterburn said Saturday outside a gas station along Route 4 near Englewood, N.J. “I don’t like to pump my own gas, especially when it’s cold.”
Fellow New Jerseyite Suni Brown, who counts having to pump his own gas as reason to avoid leaving the state, feels the same.
“I like being able to sit in the car,” the Englewood resident said. “It’s just easier for me.”
For some reason, full-service electric car charging is a service that has yet to catch on.